A
guide to the types of tequila, tequila history and origin,
plus information about Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett, Key
West and the Florida Keys.

Need
help in finding Margaritaville and selecting the best
tequila to drink ?

This
webpage will explain all there is to know about finding
Margaritaville and tequila. You'll learn where Jimmy
Buffet's Margaritaville is, where some of his fans think
it is and what some others folks say. We'll tell where
the creators of this web page found their Margaritaville,
and we list other places of lodging in Key West and the
Florida Keys to assist you in finding your island
paradise. In addition we'll help you locate that "lost
shaker of salt" that Buffett searches for in the song
"Margaritaville", and tell you about the tequila to go
with it. Information on identifying tequila, the
different types or grades of tequila, its history and
origin is also provided.

.

JIMMY
BUFFET'S MARGARITAVILLE

Many
Jimmy Buffet fans believe that Margaritaville and Key
West are pretty much the same, but for Buffett his
Margaritaville is "less a place than a state of mind.
"

When
asked where Margaritaville is Buffett answers,

"When
you are there, you will know it."

MARGARITAVILLE
ACCORDING TO MARGARITAVILLE TEQUILA ORO

Pictured
above is a bottle ofMargaritaville Tequila
Oro

The
back label on the Margaritaville Tequila
Oro bottle suggests that Margaritaville
is in the tropics. "Somewhere between the
Port of Indecision and Southwest of
Disorder,"

The
makers of Margaritaville Tequila Oro seem to
agree with Jimmy Buffett about Margaritaville
being a state of mind. In addition to having
no specific degree of latitude or longitude,
their Margaritaville must have palm trees,
ocean breezes, island music, a beach and a
thatch roof bar on the shore by a turquoise
sea. There also has to be lots of lies and
stories and it all should blend together like
tequila, salt and limes.

We
understand Jimmy has a piece of the action in
the production and sale of Margaritaville
Tequila.

FLORIDA
KEYS LATITUDE
Most folks living in or visiting the tropical Florida
Keys believe they have found that Margaritaville state of
mind and experienced that change of attitude that Jimmy
Buffet sings about. Since the Florida Keys has 42 bridges
and 142 miles of roadway connecting the Keys' archipeligo
of islands it's pretty easy to find a island paradise one
can call Margaritaville.

THE
SONG
MARGARITAVILLEWritten in five minute in 1973, Jimmy Buffett's song
Margaritaville made Billboard's 1977 Top 40 for 15
weeks. As the story goes Buffett wrote the song after
having a margarita in the Key West bar, Old Anchor Inn,
in response to seeing the influx of tourists on the
streets and the crowded roads of Key West. Buffett says
his song of downing tequilla and wasting away again in
Margaritaville is " . . . not a debaunched song. It's
just a very light song about people hanging out on the
beach, not caring to do anything."

MARGARITAVILLE
IN KEY WEST?Margaritaville is more than an imaginery island in
everybody's favorite Jimmy Buffett song, where you can
stay "wasted away again" while looking for a "lost shaker
of salt.".

It
is also a restaurant, nightclub and gift shop on Duval
Street in Key West. There, you can buy that lost shaker
of salt and other Jimmy Buffett memorabilia.
Margaritaville serves a hefty " Cheeseburger in
Paradise,"and Couch Potatoes: Jimmy's concoction of
french fries topped with chili, chopped onions and melted
cheese. Either goes good with a margarita on the rocks, a
cold Corona and lime, or a bottle of Key West Ale, or
some other favorite brew.

There
is also a Margaritaville Cafe and Store in New Orleans, a
store in Charleston, South Carolina; and a Margarita Cafe
and Store at the Universal Studio Theme Park in Orlando,
Florida.

TRAILS
OF MARGARITAVILLE TOURIf you are a Jimmy Buffett fan there is a twice daily
tour of Jimmy Buffett's old haunts when he lived in Key
West. Offered 11 AM and 4 PM by Trails of Margaritaville
Tours call reservations 305-292-2040

OUR
MARGARITAVILLE

We
think we've found our Margaritaville and are glad to
share our discovery.

Our
Margaritaville, the residential islands of Duck Key and
the resort inn and Village of Hawk's Cay on Duck Key is
in the tropical latitudes of the Florida Keys with lots
of palm trees and unique arched bridges.

The
resort provides island music, a coral beach and lagoon,
and bar service right to your tiki umbrella by a
turquoise sea. In addition there are lots of amenities.
ie, .. watersports, tennis, five pools, recreational
activities, fishing, a dolphin program, four restaurants
AND a children's program to make your visit complete. You
have a choice of Inn accommodations or a vacation villa
for the family. And they all blend together like tequila,
salt and limes.

The
Village of Hawk's Cay with over 250 privately owned Key
West style villas is located on the commercial zoned
portion of Duck Key. Village property is contiquous to
the Hawk's Cay Resort making the villas ideal for
vacationers and owners who wish to utilize resort
amenities.. Owners of the villas can elect to participate
in the resort's vacation rental program. Around ninety
percent of the properties are enrolled in the rental
program.

On
the residential islands of Duck Key you'll find a lovely
community where you'll be made to feel welcome. You can
live in solitude or be a part of the community social
life. Club Duck Key has a large pavillion for social
events, two clay courts for tennis and pool for swimming.
Click Here for information from Duck
Key Online
about Duck Key and real estate opportunities.

FOR
INTERNET RESERVATIONS and INFORMATION on conch style vacation
villas at Hawk's Cay Village and lodging at Hawk's Cay
Inn
click on

Below
you will find a list of discounted lodging available in
Key West and the Florida Keys.

Special
Internet rates negotiated with a number of hotels and
resorts are available to you through the Florida Keys
Best website. We provide reservation and rate information
on more than 80 places of lodging in the Florida Keys
and Key West.

These
discounted Internet rates most often represent a savings
over rates generally made available to the public by
hotels and resorts.

Arriving at Fort Lauderdale or Miami in the evening and don't relish the thought of a several hour drive at night to a hotel in the Keys. Consider exploring MIAMI BEACH for part of your stay. It's close to the airport. Another option - stop at the entrance to the Florida Keys (FLORIDA CITY). Start fresh in the morning and experience the Keys in the light of day.

ORLANDO is also listed here as it is frequently visited by travelers to the Florida Keys.

TEQUILAThe Number 1 reposados tequila judged by a New York Times panel in August of 2006 was El Tesoro de Don Felipe

Information
on identifying tequila, the different types or grades of
tequila, history and origin, is also provided below.

READING
THE LABELS

Pictured
below are three labels which are affixed to the Jose
Cuervo Tradicional Tequila bottle. The labels on a
tequila bottle provide a great deal of information for
the consumer to evaluate in judging the quality of the
product. A description for each part of the label is
provided below:

TEQUILA
REPOSADO:
The
type of alcoholic spirit is tequila and REPOSADO
indicates the tequila has been allowed to rest
or repose. Rested tequila is generally pale in
color and aged from 2 months to 12 months.

100%
AGAVE AZULmeans
that the tequila was made solely from the blue
"AZUL" agave plant. This usually means that the
product is of good quality. By law 100% AGAVE
AZUL or blue agave can only be bottled in
Mexico.

Some
tequilas are a blend of blue agave and as much
as 49 percent sugar alchohol. Such tequilas are
classified as mixto tequilas and are not as
desirable.

JOSE
CUERVO TRADICIONAL
TEQUILA:
This is the brand name

PRODUCTO
DE MEXICO:
Means
a product of Mexico. For a spirit to be called
tequila it must have been produced in
Mexico

HECHO
EN MEXICO, TEQUILA,
JAL:
Means
the tequila was made in the town of Tequila in
the Mexican State of Jalisco. Pronounced
ha-lee'-sko

40%
ALC. BY VOL. (80
PROOF):
The
amount of alcohol in the bottle by volume. 80
proof represent that the bottle's contents is
40% alchohol by volume. The majority of tequilas
sold in the US are 80 proof.

Produced
at "LA ROJENA" under
the Supervision of the Mexican Government: means
the tequila was produced at La Rojena under the
watchful eye of the Government. La Rojena which
was founded more than 200 years ago is now a
Cuervo distillery in the style of a colonial
hacienda.

NET
CONT. 750 ml:The
size of the bottle is 750 mililiters

NOM
1104 and CRT:
The number 1104 is the registration number of
the La Rojena distillery. There are over 300
distilleries registered by the Government of
Mexico. The number tells the buyer which
ditillery the tequila was produced in. CRT means
the the production of the tequila was supervised
by the Consego Regulador del Tequila or the
Regulatory Council for Tequila.

SILVER
or WHITE - All tequila comes out of the distillary in
a white, crystalline liquid form. White (blanco)
- no
colours or flavors are added
-
is blended in a stainless steel tank with distilled
water to bring it to drinkable alcoholic strength.
Generally white tequila is produced with a lighter
taste for the consumers in United States and Canada.
For consumption in Mexico it is disitilled to have
more "tequila flavor".

GOLD
or "ORO" - Tequilla which is
un-aged
but
takes on an amber hue color -
usually
caramel is added
- is called gold.

ANEJO
- Tequila that ages in an oak cask, resting against
the wood, coloring
and flavoring added
for at least a year.

An article in the New York Times authored by by Eric Asimov asserts that ". . . tequila is one of the world's greatest spirits, thrillingly complex and thoroughly distinctive." The author writes that "most cheap tequila bears scant resemblance to tequila at its best"offers with cheap teqila offering only a "hint of tequila's real stature." For the article a tasting test of 21 reposados tequilas was conducted by a panel of Mr. Asimov choosing.

Top Ten Tequilas plus Partida Tequila

The Number 1 reposados tequila was judged to be El Tesoro de Don Felipe. Second best was Herradura which fell into the anejo side of the resposados tested. Corazon was judged to be the best value at $34 a bottle.

Partida Resposado - www.partidatequila.com Not ranked among the top ten, but given special mention was Partida Resposado, a tequila the author found to be elgant and seductive. Patida's Blanco, Reposado and Anejo all received the highest recommendation in the 2005 Annual Spirit Journal Awards from Spirit Journal, a quarterly independent guide to distilled spirits, beers, and wines.

MEZCAL - not tequila

In
the Country of Mexico there are no worms placed in
bottles of tequila. If a worm (gusano) is found in a
bottle of mezcal it means that it was bottled outside of
Mexico most likely in the United States. It has been
suggested that worms were first placed in bottles of
Mezcal to increase sales. Drinkers were falsely given to
believe that the ingestion of the worm created a
psychedelic effect.

There
are two varieties of gusano worm in American bottled
mezcal:

gusano
rojo - the red worm which lives in the root and
heart of the maguey - considered to be superior

gusano
de oro - considered to be of lesser quality because
the white/gold worm lives on the leaves

In
Mexico it is a common practice for the larvae from gusano
rojo and the gusano de oro to be eaten as food.

TEQUILA
DRINKS

There
are a number of ways to drink tequila

1.
straight shots, shooters or slammers.

2.
in a margarita with lime juice and simple sugar or
instead us lime juice and triple sec or Grand
Manier.

3.
sipping slowly and alternately from different "caballito"
glasses; one filled with Sangrita, a

Directions
- add and stir jello in boiling water 'til dissolved,
add cold water, Tequila, and Triple Sec.
Place in refrigerator until set.

TEQUILA
FLAVORED BEER

Tequiza
is a tequila flavored beer

SOME
TEQUILA FACTS AND HISTORY

Tequila
which is made under strict government controls and
supervision comes from the
distilled sap of hearts [piñas]
a
plant called the blue agave maguey
[mah-gay] plant which
is member of the amaryllis (lily) family of plants. It
takes between 8 to 12 years for an agave plant to reach
the point of maturity where it will yield the most
tequila. Tequila is made only from the blue agave plant
and its manufacture is labor intensive.
Blue agaves
are planted and harvested by
hand.
The blue agave plant has the appearance of a cactus with
its blue-gray
sword-like leaves.
It is not a member of the cacti family,
however.

The name agave
came from a Greek word meaning noble.
To
carry the name tequila it must be produced in a specific
region and from a specific agave
plant.There
are more than 130 species of agave in Mexico, and it is
the blue agave - agave tequilana weber azul - that is the
only one allowed for use in tequila production.

After the agave
hearts are harvested they are chopped into small bits,
and cooked in ovens for several days. After removal from
the ovens, the agave hearts are shredded and juiced. This
liquid produced has is syrupy and golden inappearance and
is called aguamiel. The aguamiel is transferred into vats
and sugarcane and yeast are blended in to aid in the
fermentation process. Mexican law requires that the
mixture contain no less than 51% agave to be called
tequila.

According
to authorities first tequila producer was Jose Antonio de
Cuervo. Jose Antonio first obtained a grant of property
in Tequila, Mexico that included a small mezcal wine
factory.

Thirty-seven
years later in 1795, another Cuervo family member, is
given exclusive permission by the King of Spain to
commercially produce mezcal vino de tequila. tequila. The
brand of Cuervo Tequila has been made in the town of
Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico since that time.
Cuervo now produces, sells, and exports more tequila than
any other entity. More than one million cases were
exported to the US in 1986.

A1899
a census shows that Cuevo is one of 39 tequila distillers
in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Almost half of tequila
producers Jalisco are located in the town of
Tequila.

As
a result of the War for Texas Independence, citizens of
the US are introduced to tequila. Tequila "mezcal wine"
is first exported to the US in 1873 and by 1893 at the
Chicago World's fair " Mezcal brandy from Tequila" is
awarded a prize.

Click on
Jimmy's Albumn cover above and you will be able listen to
song samples of Margaritaville,
Migration, Growing Older But Not, Holiday (Live/New
Recording) Up, and Come
Monday

Editorial
Reviews : Amazon.com

Jimmy
Buffett may have made his millions, but that doesn't mean
that he has eased up on his workload. After releasing 33
albums, mounting grueling annual tours, and fashioning an
entire industry and lifestyle out of his signature song
"Margaritaville," Buffett trots out this two-CD
collection. Yet, Meet Me in Magaritaville, which spans 30
years, isn't merely a retread of his long, storied
career. Buffett has written two new songs for the package
and re-recorded six alternative versions of fan favorites
(including a moving version of "The Captain and the Kid,"
which he included for his ailing father, who died shortly
after the album's release). He's also added two new cover
songs--a spicy bossa nova version of Fred Neil's
"Everybody's Talking" and the Beach Boys' "Sail on
Sailor"--as well four live tracks, which shows the singer
at his best, conjuring up his own Yuppie Atlantis, an
idyllic place where no one has to wear shoes, the sun is
always shining, the bar never closes, and Junior Mints
are always available at every cinema. A must-have
collection for every Parrothead (or aspiring Parrothead),
if only for Buffett's track-by-track descriptions. --Jaan
Uhelszki